Is WBA a rivalry?

Going by West Bromwich Albion’s Monday night game against Brentford, it was clear to see that they are looking forward to Friday nights game. WBA fans were very vocal in their thoughts about Aston Villa. Chants of “Aston Villa, we’re coming for you” seems to be particularly popular. Well at least until Brentford equalized late on.

This begs me to ask the question on whether you class the game as a rival or just another game?

Distance

It is often a subject that is bought up every time we play the Baggies. Many Villans on social media have been debating whether they regard the game as a football rivalry. My view of it is, it will never be the same as our rivalry with Birmingham City. That’s obvious. However, it is a rivalry because I believe we have always been programmed to despite WBA.

A lot of Villa fans who have followed Villa for many years used to consider WBA as ‘The rival’. Partly because we didn’t come up against Birmingham too often. Those who have supported Villa since the early ’90s don’t particularly see them as rivals. Again, probably because we didn’t come up against WBA too often.

Villa Park is only a measly 3.8 miles away from the Hawthorns. It is closer than many fans actually realise. This puts us closer than other sides who are considered big close rivals. The two Manchester clubs spring to mind (4.7 miles) and of course Newcastle and Sunderland (15.3 miles). Based on the distance alone, one would assume the two have a deep and long rivalry. Again, you will have those who argue that St Andrews is only 3.2 miles away.

Hatred

Big celebrations against our rivals, BirminghamThere is no disputing how much mutual hatred clubs in the Midlands seem to have for Villa. Personally, I see it as a compliment. Both Birmingham and WBA seem to have created a respectful relationship towards one and other. But they both have one thing in common. Their hatred for us.

They like to call us historians and most Villa fans are proud of our history. Why shouldn’t we be? But for me, this is one of the reasons why they dislike Villa so much. It is so easy to despise the most successful club over time.

When it comes to matchday both Villa and WBA will have a mutual dislike for each other. But Villa doesn’t seem to have the same hatred towards them as they do us. We don’t tend to sing too much about WBA. The games are not hyped us as much as they do when we play Birmingham.

It is easy to see why some consider WBA a rival. For me, it isn’t. I dislike them more than most other clubs but I wouldn’t class my dislike for them strong enough to class it as a big derby.

What are your thoughts on WBA? Are they a big rival for Villa or just another club?

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12 comments

  1. Never had an issue with the Albion, even though a few of my best mates support them. I’ll probably go to the pub and onto the game with them on Friday. I can’t do that for the Small Heath game.
    Its a game I want us to win, like any other game, but its not like losing to Small Heath if we get beat. They are a strange bunch anyway. They reckon they are from the Black Country, but the ground is in Birmingham. They don’t know whether they hate Villa or Wolves and have this mad “Anti Villa Love In” when they play Small Heath.
    We have the same issue with that lot in Coventry….its a local derby…but not THE DERBY !!!

  2. There is a rivalry between Villa and Albion and it would be madness to say otherwise. As you say the club’s are very close to each other, families in the area will have a mix of both fans, work colleagues will no doubt be ribbing each other and basking in the glory if they win. As for he reason Blues and Baggies have a hatred of Villa? Villa are a bigger and more successful club and had been the top team in the area for quite a while. This tended to make a lot of Villa fans look down their noses at the other clubs nearby with an air of pomp about them. So naturally people will dislike you even more for that attitude. Then Villa nosedived into the Championship and to be honest, they still grasp onto the fact they were topdogs for a long time and believe it to be still fact, when in reality Villa are simply not the big club they once were. I think when Villa fans finally release their fingers that are clinging onto the pedestal and realise they are now on the same playing field as the other clubs in the area, the less hatred their will be towards them. For the record, I don’t support any football club in particular, I’m just a local who watches all football.

  3. Albion fan here. This article popped up on news now.

    The fact there’s just under 4 miles between the 2 clubs means it is a local derby but its not THE derby for both clubs. For 99% of Albion fans Wolves are our biggest rivals. I hate our fans singing SOTV and all that nonsense.

    Friday night should be a great game!

  4. I’m a long-standing WBA fan, I don’t see Villa as local rivals but I definitely do not hate Villa. I class them as my second team as I’ve been to many games with my villa supporting wife.

  5. I’m a villa fan born and bred in West Brom, I believe it depends on age as well as where you were born/live. I’m 49 and have always considered WBA to be our main rivals, not hatred as such but a massive rivalry and as most of my mates as well as other people I know of over 40 we are their biggest rivals. Though to my son and thousands of Villains blues are the biggest enemy as Wolves are to younger baggies fans. You’re right to state it probably came from us only playing WBA for so long.

  6. All the midlands clubs hate us, it’s an inferiority complex. When two local inferior clubs play each other they sing songs about us together. That’s a huge compliment.

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